What Crew Members Say About Meri

After the allision of the 'Meri' with the Kiel-Holtenau high bridges on Nov 30, 2022, at 4:35 a.m., the State Office for Road Construction and Transport (LBV) in Kiel is still awaiting settlement of the costs for repairing the bridges. The state of Schleswig-Holstein has advanced more than nine million euros for the almost year-long work following the accident. The issue of funding remains open. Efforts to obtain reimbursement of the costs incurred from those responsible for the damage are ongoing. Due to the amount of the claim and the complexity of the case, it is assumed that efforts to reimburse costs will take further time. Whether and to what extent claims can be enforced will have to be determined by further negotiations. The freighter was operating on behalf of the crane manufacturer Liebherr to transport a mobile harbor crane from Rostock to Esbjerg. The Federal Bureau of Maritime Accident Investigation in Hamburg found in its report in June 2024 that misunderstandings and confusion led to the accident. For example, the Finnish captain had been given a wrong data sheet for the mobile harbour crane on the deck of the "Meri". In fact, the Esbjerg contract had already been changed months before delivery. Instead of the initially ordered LHM600 58M crane, the successor model, the LHM 600 Evo6, was placed on the deck of the "Meri." The four-meter-higher structure went unnoticed. The captain had been given the data sheet for the originally ordered crane. In the lock, the laser height measurement also failed. No payments have yet been made to the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the federal government. The state-owned company also clarifies, however, that the claims for damages will be asserted in any case. This will have no consequences for the operation of the ship: The "Meri" is permitted to sail through the Kiel Canal and does not face any penalties.

The Meri, a new ice class multipurpose deck cargo vessel built for Gaiamare has been named on June 6, 2012 at the STX Turku Shipyard, BreakBulk reports. The Meri measures 105.4 meters long and 18.8 meters wide. The Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A vessel will operate under Finnish flag, according to a Gaiamare statement. Meri will be used for transporting project cargoes, including offshore wind components, in the Baltic Sea. The vessel is also equipped for oil spill response activities. The vessel is scheduled to be delivered to Gaiamare this summer.